A13
WEDNESDAY
January 10, 2018
40th Jo-Hi a success
Photos by Steve Tool/Chieftain
Shane Lund bulldozes into his opponent during the 120 pound championshp match at the Jo-HI Invitational tournament. Lund won the match with a 14-2 major decision.
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
T
hey came from as far away as
Crane, Culver and the Oregon
Coast. An even dozen teams and
about 105 wrestlers made the
trip to Joseph Charter School for the 40th
annual Jo-Hi Invitational wrestling tourna-
ment Jan. 5-6.
Friday and Saturday saw the Joseph
gym crowded with wrestlers and fans
alike, with about the same crowd size as
a varsity basketball game. Coaches guided
their grapplers from the edge of the mat
with wrestlers responding with renewed
vigor or sheer helplessness. Fans walked
around the edges of the mat taking video
and photos of the epic struggles playing
out before them.
Despite the presence of larger schools
such as Culver, both Enterprise and Joseph/
Wallowa held their own, nailing down four
individual championships and a number of
second and third-place finishes.
Joseph/Wallowa placed fourth in the
tournament with 103 points, just behind
Neah-Kah-Nie’s 111 points. Enterprise fin-
ished seventh with 83.5 points.
Joseph landed two champions in
113-pounder Steven Beckman, who is
also the reigning state champ in his weight
class and plowed through all comers at the
tournament. Sophomore Guylen Snyder
topped off the 152 pound class, winning
his championship match by fall. Both Zeb
Ramsden and Austin Brockamp of Wal-
lowa garnered strong third-place finishes.
Ramsden’s final match featured more flip-
Cole Farwell, left, drives into teammate and opponent Trace Evans during the cham-
pionship round of the Jo-Hi Invitational wrestling meet Jan. 5-6. Farwell eventually
won the match by fall and the 132 pound championship in the process.
Joseph wrestler Steven Beckman
shoots his opponent skyward during
the championship round of the 113 lbs.
weight class at the Jo-Hi Invitatioal last
weekend. Beckman won the match and
the championship with a 17-4 victory
over his challenger.
flops than a Washington politician on the
campaign trail before the freshman won
the match by fall.
Enterprise’s two stalwarts, Shane Lund
and Cole Farwell, both filed championship
notches on their belts in the 120 pound and
132 pound categories, respectively.
EHS up and comer Trace Evan won
second at 132 pounds, wrestling against his
state reigning champion teammate while
Dylan Staigle wrestled his way to the third
slot at 138 pounds. Drew Widener got the
nod for fifth place at 220 pounds. while
Klint Norton suffered a knee injury and
had to settle for fourth place at 285 pounds.
the Oregon coast and traveled the longest
distance.
“They told us they loved our tourna-
ment, and they’d be back next year,” he
said.
Outlaws coach Troy Farwell said one
of the tournament highlights was watching
Evans get into the finals.
“His semifinal match was the state run-
ner up last year,” he said. “To go out with
confidence and beat a kid who was sec-
ond in state last year is a big deal for a
freshman.”
He added that Evans has a shot at going
to state this year.
Joseph coach Tim Kiesecker said he
was happy with the performance and
was pleased with the tournament overall,
although there were about 80 wrestlers
fewer than last year’s total.
“After the long Christmas break, we
wrestled pretty well, and I’m pretty happy
with where we’re at,” he said. He also
lauded the performance of Zeb Ramsden
with his third-place finish.
“He always gives 110 percent, and I
think he might make it to state this year,”
he said
Kiesecker also told of the addition of a
new team, Neah-Kah-Nie, that hails from
SPORTS CALENDAR
JOSEPH
WALLOWA
ENTERPRISE
BOYS BASKETBALL
BOYS BASKETBALL
BOYS BAKSETBALL
Jan. 12 –– Joseph vs. Pine Eagle at
Pine Eagle, 7 p.m.
Jan. 12 –– Wallowa vs. Cove at
Wallowa, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 –– Enterprise vs. Elgin at
Elgin, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 –– Joseph vs. Griswold at home,
5 p.m.
Jan. 13 –– Wallowa vs. Echo at Echo,
5 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
GIRLS BASKETBALL
GIRLS BASKETBALL
WRESTLING
Jan. 12 –– Joseph vs. Pine Eagle at Pine Eagle, 6 p.m.
Jan. 12 –– Wallowa vs. Cove at Wallowa, 6 p.m.
Jan. 13 –– Joseph vs. Griswold at home, 4 p.m.
Jan. 13 –– Wallowa vs. Echo at Echo, 4 p.m.
Jan. 12 –– Enterprise participates in Oregon
Classic at Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center
in Redmond, Ore. Continues Jan. 13.
WRESTLING
Jan. 12 –– Joseph participates in Oregon Classic
at Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in
Redmond, Ore. Continues Jan. 13.
joseph
hardware
541-432-2271
101 S Main Street, Joseph
www.johard.com
Open 7 Days A Week
Jan. 13 -– Enterprise vs. Elgin at Elgin, 4 p.m.